French Submitted Surnames

French names are used in France and other French-speaking regions. See also about French names.
usage
Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Régis French
Occupational name for a local dignitary, from a derivative of Old French régir "to rule or manage".
Reille French, Occitan
Topographic name derived from Old Occitan relha meaning "plowshare", or a habitational name from any of several places named Reille or La Reille in southern France. A notable bearer was Honoré Charles Reille (1775-1860), a Marshal of France during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
Reine French
From the given name Reine or Rainier
Reiss German, Jewish, French (Huguenot)
German: variant of Reis or from any of several Germanic personal names composed with ric ‘power(ful)’. Also from the French Huguenot forename Ris, rendered as Reis and Reiss.... [more]
Relyea German, French (Anglicized)
Altered spelling of southern German and French Rellier, or probably a regional variant of Swiss German Reller, especially in the western provinces of Austria... [more]
Remacle French, French (Belgian)
From the given name Remacle.
Rémy French
From the given name Rémy.
Renaudin French
From the given name Renaud.
René French
From the given name René.
Rétif French
Derived from French rétif "restive; rebellious".
Reveille French
Derived from Old French reveille "lively, vivid; alert".
Revere English, French, Judeo-Italian
French: variant of Rivière, Rivoire, or Rivier, topographic name for someone living on the banks of a river, French rivier ‘bank’, or habitational name from any of the many places in France named with this word.... [more]
Revord French (Quebec)
Comes from the French surname of Rivard, a geographical name for someone who lived on a river bank. The -ard ending is changed to -ord in Canadian and American French.
Rheims French
From the city of Reims in France, also known as Rheims in English.
Rhine German, French, English, Irish
A habitational name for an individual whom lived within close proximity of the River Rhine (see Rhein). The river name is derived from a Celtic word meaning 'to flow' (Welsh redan, 'flow').... [more]
Rhoton German, French
Rhoton is a German and French surname from the 1800s. Some people believe that it is derived from the French word for red, but the origin is overall unknown. The name represents strength and power.
Ricard French
From the given name Richard and a variant of Richard.
Riche English, French
English: variant spelling of Rich. ... [more]
Richer French, English, German
From the given name Richer.
Richilde French (Rare)
From the feminine given name Richilde.
Richoux French
French: from the ancient Germanic personal name Ricwulf a compound of rīc ‘power(ful)’ + wulf ‘wolf’. Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
Riel French
French variant of Riehl. Most notable bearer is Canadian Métis political leader Louis Riel, best known for his Red River Rebellion.
Rigaud French, Haitian Creole
from the ancient Germanic personal name Ricwald composed of ric "powerful" and wald "power authority".
Rigolet French
Means "creek" in French. From (American) French rigole (“rivulet”), from Old French regol.
Riquier French
From the given name Riquier and a variant of Richer.
Ris French (Huguenot)
Surname of unknown meaning.
Ritchings French, German, English
This surname has at least three distinct separate origins. ... [more]
Rivard French
Geographical name for someone who lived on a river bank.
Rives French, Jewish
Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic): from the Yiddish female personal name Rive a back-formation from Rivke (see Rifkin).... [more]
Rivet French, English
French: from a diminutive of Old French rive ‘(river) bank’, ‘shore’ (see Rives).... [more]
Rivett English, French
English (East Anglia): metonymic occupational name for a metalworker, from Middle English, Old French rivet ‘small nail or bolt’ (from Old French river ‘to fix or secure’, of unknown origin).... [more]
Rivette French, English (American, Rare), English (Canadian, Rare)
Topographic name derived from a diminutive of Old French rive, meaning "(river) bank, shore"; see also Rivet.
Riviere French, French (Quebec), French (Acadian)
Possibly from the French word meaning "river"
Robben French, Dutch
It is a French surname that was originally derived from the Germanic name Robert, which is composed of the elements hrod, meaning famous, and berht, meaning bright.
Robertin French (Rare)
Derived from the medieval French masculine given name Robertin, which was a diminutive of the given name Robert.
Robichaux French
An altered spelling of Robichon or Roubichou, pet forms of Robert.
Robicheau French (Acadian)
Patronymic name derives from Robert or Robin. Origin, Poitou province of France. Emigrated to Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Canada.
Robideaux French
From the medieval given name Robardeau, a pet form of Robert.
Robineau French
derived from the Old French word "robine", which was the word that was used for the communication channel of a salted fountain or barrel pond... [more]
Robinet French
Derived from the medieval French masculine given name Robinet, which was a diminutive (as the -et suffix indicates) of the given name Robin.... [more]
Robitaille French
Of uncertain meaning.
Roblès French
French form of Robles.
Robuchon French
Robuchon is derived from the Old French personal name Robert.
Rochefort French
From various places called Rochefort meaning strong castle.
Rocher French
From French roche, meaning "rock'. It indicates a person who worked at a quarry.
Rockett French
From the French "la roche," or "of the rock." Some family histories trace this back to French Hugenots (sp) who immigrated to England in the 1500's from the Normandy region of France.
Rodrigue French
From the given name Rodrigue.
Rogier French
From the Old French given name Rogier a variant of Roger. Variant of Roger
Roland French, German, Scottish
French, German, English, and Scottish: from a Germanic personal name composed hrod ‘renown’ + -nand ‘bold’, assimilated to -lant ‘land’. (Compare Rowland).... [more]
Romain French
From the given name Romain.
Romaine French
From the given name Romaine.
Romana Catalan, French, Italian, Polish, English (Rare), German, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Belarusian
From the feminine form of the Latin personal name Romanus, which originally meant "Roman".
Rondelli Italian, English, French
From the medieval name "Rondello" derived from French "rondel" meaning "go around, round" or "rondel", a French old nickname for a round, plump man.
Rosamel French
A French surname turned Spanish masculine given name, Rosamel likely derives from the combination of rose + Greek mel “honey”. As a surname, it was borne by a 19th century French naval officer with the wonderful name of Claude Charles Marie du Campe de Rosamel.
Rosier French
French for "rose tree" or "rose bush". A common surname in Francophone areas. It is also the name of a fallen angel who was considered the patron demon of tainted love and seduction.
Rosseau French, American
Variant spelling of Rousseau. Comes from the Old French word rous meaning "red", likely a nickname for someone with red hair or a particularly rosy complexion.
Rossignol French
Means "nightingale" in French, used as a nickname for person with a good singing voice, or ironically, for a raucous person.
Rou French
Variant of Roux.
Rouen French
From the other broad category of surnames that was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. ... Ruen is a place-name from in Rouen, the capital of Normandy... [more]
Rouge French
Nickname for someone with a ruddy complexion.
Rougeau French
Diminutive of Rouge, a nickname for someone with a ruddy complexion.
Rouget French
Derived from the French adjective rouge meaning "red" combined with the French masculine diminutive suffix -et.
Rougeul French
“Rouge” means “Red” in French.
Roupert French (Rare)
Derived from the given name Roupert, which is an archaic French variant of Rupert.
Rouppert French (Rare)
Derived from the given name Rouppert, which is a gallicization of Ruppert, the Upper German form of Rupert.... [more]
Routin French
From French route meaning "road".
Routine French
Variant of Routin.
Rozelle French
Beautiful flower from France brought over by an immigrant named Page Rozelle. People said when she said something nice or touched you, good luck would come to you.
Rubble English, Norman
From given name Rumbald or from the English word "rubble"
Rubin French, German, Slovene, Croatian, Czech, Slovak
metonymic occupational name for a jeweler, from Middle High German rubn Old French rubi Slovenian and Croatian rubin Czech and Slovak rubín "ruby"... [more]
Rue French
The name Rue dates back to the days of Medieval France, in the region of Normandy. It is derived from their residence in Normandy. However, the name Ruell is derived from the Old French word ruelle, meaning lane or alley, and indicates that the original bearer lived in such a place... [more]
Ruelas French
A last name common in Mexico which is believed to have derived from the French word ruelle (or Portuguese word ruela) meaning lane or alley.
Ruisard French (Rare, ?)
Originated as a result of trade between France and the Persian Empires before the Iranian Revolution, probably during the Safavid Dynasty. The surname has its roots in the Persian Riahi surname and the Arabic word رِيح (rīḥ) meaning "wind" and the Persian word “sered” before it was altered to fit French spelling rules.... [more]
Rundlett French
this is a french word for little wine barrels.
Saba French, Occitan
Nickname from a variant of Occitan sabe meaning "tasty, flavorsome". Compare Sabourin.
Sabat French
Nickname for a noisy, rowdy person, from Middle French sab(b)at "noise", "racket".
Sabatier French
Meaning "cobbler, shoemaker".
Sabourin French (Quebec), French (Huguenot)
Southern French surname, originally a nickname for a pleasant or amiable person, from a diminutive of sabor meaning "flavor, taste" (Old French saveur). The Huguenots brought this surname to England, and from there it may have been introduced to North America.
Saëns French
From the given name Saëns
Saint English, French
Nickname for a particularly pious individual, from Middle English, Old French saint, seint "holy" (Latin sanctus "blameless, holy"). The vocabulary word was occasionally used in the Middle Ages as a personal name, especially on the Continent, and this may have given rise to some instances of the surname.
Saint-Amour French (Caribbean)
Means "Saint Amor" in French.
Sainte-Marie French, Occitan
French and Occitan cognate of Santamaría.
Saint-exupery French
From the place named Saint-Exupery. Famous bearer of this surname is Antoine Saint-Exupery, the writer of .
Saint-Fleur French (Caribbean)
Means "Saint Fleur" in French.
Saint-Jean French
Means Saint John in French
Saint-Juste French (Caribbean)
Means "Saint Justus" in French.
Saint-Louis French (Caribbean)
Means "Saint Louis" in French.
Saint-saëns French
From any place named Saint-Saens by honor to the saint Sidonius.
Saint-Simon French
A French surname meaning "Saint Simon". Two famous bearers were Duc de Saint-Simon Louis de Rouvroy(1675-1755), a French memoirist, and his younger relative, Henri de Saint-Simon(1760-1825), the founder of French Socialism and modern theoretical Socialism in general.
Saint-xandre French
Derived from Saint Alexander
Sajin French
1 French: metonymic occupational name for a satin merchant or specialist satin weaver, from Middle French satin ‘satin’, a word of Arabic and (ultimately) Chinese origin, a derivative of the Chinese place name Tsinkiang, whence satin silk was brought to the Middle East and Europe in the Middle Ages.... [more]
Saladin French
nickname for a blustering or tyrannical individual from the name of the medieval Egyptian sultan who because of his success in combating the Crusaders became demonized in French and Italian folklore as a monster second only to Herod.
Salaün Breton, French
Form of the given name Solomon.
Sale English, French
English: from Middle English sale ‘hall’, a topographic name for someone living at a hall or manor house, or a metonymic occupational name for someone employed at a hall or manor house. ... [more]
Sand French
Derived from the given name Sando.
Santamaria Italian, French, Spanish
Italian and French cognate of Santamaría as well as a Spanish variant.
Santerre French
Habitational name from a place to the southeast of the Somme river, named with Latin sana terra "healthy, wholesome land".
Sarazen French
From a medieval French nickname for a swarthy person, or for someone who had gone on a Crusade (from Old French sarrazin "Saracen"). It was borne by American golfer Gene Sarazen (1902-99), original name Eugene Saraceni.
Sard English, French, Spanish, Italian
In the book surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary by Henry Harrison and Gyda (Pulling) Harrison 1912 - Reprinted 1996. The Sard surname (which has been in England, Italy and Europe for a long time) is defined thus on page 136.... [more]
Sarrazin French
Means "Saracen" in Old French, a name used to refer to Arab Muslims in the Middle Ages. It was probably used as a nickname for an unruly person, a person with a dark complexion, or for someone who had taken part in a Crusade.
Sartain French
Means, "Tailor".
Saulnier French
In Middle French (the form of French spoken from 1340 to 1610), it literally means "salt merchant".
Sauve' French
Sauve' from France to Canada. Changed probably due to an "a" and an "o" confusion in cursive. My granfather's was typo-ed on WW II old men's sign up in MA. or RI, USA.
Savant French
Nickname from savant ‘learned’, a nickname for a university graduate or a particularly knowledgeable person.
Savard French
Either from Old French savart meaning "wasteland" or the Germanic elements sab of uncertain meaning and hard meaning "brave, hardy".
Savignac French
Habitational name for someone from various communes by this name in France.
Schaal German, Dutch, French, Spanish, Jewish
Either a nickname for a braggart or a market crier, (derived from Middle High German schal meaning "noise, bragging"), an occupational name for someone who made dishes for scales and vessels for drinking, (from Middle Low German and Dutch schale "dish"), a habitational name from Schaala in Thuringia or the Schaalsee lake near Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, or a topographic name for someone living on marshy land, (from Dutch schald "shallow")... [more]
Sebas French
From the given name Sebastien.
Sébastien French
From the given name Sébastien.
Sebert German, French
From a German personal name composed of the elements sigi meaning "victory" + berht meaning "bright", "famous".
Second French
From the given name Second.
Sedaine French
Derived from the given name Sidoine.
Séguin French
From the given name Séguin the French form of Sigwin.
Sénécal French
status name for a seneschal an official in a large household who was responsible for overseeing day-to-day domestic arrangements from Old French seneschal (of ancient Germanic origin composed of the elements sini "old" and scalc "servant")... [more]
Senjean French
Probably from St John (saint-jean) from Christianization of Basques and misspelled
Serre French
Means 'greenhouse' in French.
Serres French
Altered form of "Serre"
Servais French
From the given name Servais.
Seul French
From Fr. "only, alone"
Sevestre French
A French surname of unknown etymology.
Sévigny French
A kind of bush.
Seydoux French, French (Swiss), Occitan
Derived from the Germanic names Sedulius, Sedulfus or Segedolfus. Another theory suggests Occitan roots; it might be an occupational name for someone who worked with silk, derived from Occitan sedós meaning "silky, soft"... [more]
Sicard French
From the given name Sieghard.
Silhouette French (Rare)
Famous bearers include Étienne de Silhouette (1709–67), French author and politician. He was a French Ancien Régime Controller-General of Finances under Louis XV.
Simard French (Quebec)
From the Germanic name Siegmar via the French form Simar.
Simonin French
From the given name Simon. Possibly brought by the Russian migrants who came to France.
Simonnet French
From the given name Simon 1.
Simplice French
From the given name Simplice
Sintas French
Found in the communes of Habas and Osages
Sivelle French
A rare surname.
Soldat Russian, Ukrainian, French, German
Means "soldier" in various languages.
Solié French
Notable bearers include French cellist Jean-Pierre Solié, who was originally named Jean-Pierre Soulier, possibly making it a variant of Soulier.
Soule English, French, Medieval English
English: of uncertain origin; perhaps derived from the vocabulary word soul as a term of affection.... [more]
Soulier French
Metonymic occupational name for a shoemaker, from Old French soulier ‘shoe’, ‘sandal’.... [more]
Souris French
Means "mouse" in French.
Sovereign French
Translation of the French surname Souverain which is derived from Old French souverain meaning "high place".
Soyer French
French surname (Alexis Benoist Soyer is a famous bearer).
St Aubin French
Either a habitational name from any of several places in France called Saint-Aubin (from the dedication of their churches to Saint Albinus), or else a nickname with Saint as an (ironic) prefix to the personal name or surname Aubin.
St Clair French, English
From the place name St Clair
Stephan French, English
From the given name Stephan
St-gelais French (Quebec)
From the French place name Saint-Gelais which was allegedly named for a 5th-century bishop of Poitiers. The name Gelais is a variant of Gélase.
St Georges French
“Saint George.”
St Germain French, Haitian Creole
From a French place named for Saint Germanus.
St Louis French, English
In honor of Saint Louis.
Stlouis French
Habitational name from any of several places named with a religious dedication to a St. Louis.
St Mary English, French
This name is probably used in reference to Mary, Mother of Jesus or one of the many places called St Mary.
St-vil Haitian Creole, French (Caribbean), French
From the place named St Vil.
Subercaseaux French, Spanish (Latin American)
The Subercaseaux family is a Chilean family of French descent. They became well known during the 19th century due to their wealth amassed in Norte Chico. They have played a very significant role in Chilean mining, winemaking, politics and arts.
Sully French, Haitian Creole
from any of the various places called Sully for example in Calvados Loiret Saone-et-Loire and Oise. The first of these is recorded in 1180 as Silleium from the Gallo-Roman personal name Silius or Cilius and the Latin locative element acum... [more]
Sylvain French
From the given name Sylvain
Sylvestre French
From the given name Sylvestre.
Tailleur French
French for "tailor."
Talbert English, French
From a continental Germanic personal name composed of the elements tal "valley" and berth "bright".
Talcott English, Norman
Norman habitational name from Taillecourt in France.... [more]
Tallant English (British, ?), Norman, Irish
English (of Norman origin) occupational name for a tailor or nickname for a good swordsman, from taillant ‘cutting’, present participle of Old French tailler ‘to cut’ (Late Latin taliare, from talea ‘(plant) cutting’)... [more]
Tallon English, Irish, Norman, French
English and Irish (of Norman origin), and French from a Germanic personal name derived from tal ‘destroy’, either as a short form of a compound name with this first element (compare Talbot) or as an independent byname... [more]
Tanguay French, English
From a personal name, a contraction of Tanneguy, from Breton tan meaning 'fire', and ki meaning 'dog', which was the name of a 6-th century Christian saint associated with Paul Aurelian.
Tanqueray French
Derived from the given name Tancred.
Tapon French
From the old French word tapon, meaning "cork". Hence this surname was first given to corks makers.
Tati Popular Culture, French, Russian
A well known diminutive of both Tatiana and Tatischeff.
Tatischeff French, Russian, English
Best known as the actual full surname of Jacques Tati.
Tautou French, Occitan
Derived from French tatou meaning "armadillo". It may have originally been given to a person who resembled an armadillo in some way. A famous bearer is the French actress and model Audrey Tautou (1976-).
Tawney English, Norman
Habitational name from either of two places, Saint-Aubin-du-Thennay or Saint-Jean-du-Thennay, in Eure, Normandy, both so named from an uncertain first element (possibly a Gallo-Roman personal name or the Gaulish word tann ‘oak’, ‘holly’) + the locative suffix -acum.
Tebow Dutch, Belgian, French
From the Old French personal name Teobaud, Tibaut (see Theobald).